GROVE CITY, Pa. – Junior quarterback Jacob Pugh (Jefferson Hills, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) tossed for a career-high 396 yards and three touchdowns, but it was host Grove City who edged the Presidents by a 31-24 score in battle of unbeatens at Robert E. Thorn Field Saturday afternoon.
The loss snapped W&J's 10-game winning streak in the head-to-head series with Grove City. The Presidents are now 4-1 overall.
The Wolverines are now in sole possession of first place and in the driver's seat to capture their first conference title since 1998. Grove City has defeated Case Western Reserve, Carnegie Mellon and W&J in consecutive weeks to start a season 5-0 for the first time since 1926.
W&J held a 24-17 lead entering the fourth quarter, but a pair of Grove City touchdowns coupled with a pair of turnovers by the Red and Black enabled the Wolverines to claim their first win in the series since 2011.
Grove City quarterback Logan Pfeuffer hit Scott Fraser twice for passing touchdowns in the fourth quarter. The duo first connected for the game's tying score at the 12:55 mark. On the ensuing possession, a sack on third down meant that the Presidents had to punt the ball back to the Wolverines with the score deadlocked at 24-24. Grove City marched 67 yards on 10 plays before a five-yard touchdown pass from Pfeuffer to Fraser helped the hosts recoup the lead with 5:23 to play.
Fueled by a pair of 21-yard completions by Pugh to sophomore wide receiver Jacob Macosko (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township) the Presidents appeared poised to answer with a scoring drive of its own as they moved into Grove City territory.
However, a forced fumble thwarted the chance and gave the Wolverines possession with just 2:59 to play. The Wolverines picked up one first down and forced the Presidents to burn all three of their timeouts. By the time W&J eventually forced a punt, they only had 11 seconds remaining to go 70 yards.
A pair of completions pushed the ball to the Grove City 47. However, W&J's last gasp at a hail mary was intercepted by the Wolverines near the goal line.
Following a three-and-out by Grove City to start the game, W&J took a brief lead after Ricky Hunter (Freeport, Pa./Freeport) converted a 29-yard field goal. The Hunter kicked capped a 12-play, 59-yard drive that featured three completions to sophomore wide receiver John Peduzzi (Hilton Head, S.C./Hilton Head Christian Academy) to move the sticks.
Grove City took its first lead on a six-yard pass from Pfeuffer to Ryan Heckathorn early in the second quarter. A two-yard run by Clayton Parrish extended the hosts lead to 14-3 with just 2:53 to play in the second quarter. However, W&J needed just three plays to cover 93 yards over 44 seconds. A 52-yard pass play by Pugh to Macosko set up a 22-yard touchdown pass from Pugh to Peduzzi.
Grove City moved into W&J territory but was unable to score before halftime. The Wolverines led by a 14-10 margin entering the break.
Pugh and Peduzzi connected two times for touchdown passes in the third quarter. The first of which helped W&J regain the lead at 17-14 with 10:18 showing on the clock. A 41-yard field goal by Grove City's Caleb Kuechly evened the score at the 4:04 mark of the third. However, Pugh found Peduzzi for an 18-yard touchdown pass with 24 seconds left in the third.
Pugh completed 29-of-40 attempts for 396 yards and three touchdowns.
Peduzzi added three more touchdowns to his 2023 totals. Peduzzi racked up a career-best 202 receiving yards in the setback. Peduzzi has 10 receiving touchdowns this fall. Macosko added career highs in both receptions (11) and yards (168).
Defensively, junior Zachai Simmons (Hawthorne, N.J./Linsly School (W.Va.)) finished with a career-high 14 tackles. Junior defensive lineman Dawson Dietz (Allison Park, Pa./Hampton) posted 12 tackles. Senior linebacker Tanner Volpatti (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) had nine tackles, two of which went for loss.
Pfeuffer completed 13 of 22 passes for 185 yards and three touchdowns to guide Grove City's offense.
W&J finished with 436 yards of total offense while Grove City had 384. Most of the Wolverines' work was done on the ground. The hosts rushed 47 times for 199 yards. W&J more than doubled up Grove City through the air.
Each team had 22 first downs. Grove City went 9 of 15 on third down while W&J managed 3 of 9 on its attempts.
W&J will host Allegheny for homecoming on Saturday, Oct. 7. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Cameron Stadium.
Wolverines edge Presidents in PAC showdown
/seasons/2023/boxscores/20230930_p7ev.xml
2023
Washington and Jefferson
24
Grove City
31
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington and Jefferson (4-1) | 3 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 24 |
| No. 18 Grove City (5-0) | 0 | 14 | 3 | 14 | 31 |
Sep 30, 2023